Home Office

Libya: Islamic State

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent steps the Government has taken to counter Daesh in Libya.

Mr Ben Wallace: Libya is a member of the Global Coalition against Daesh and, in coordination with our international partners, the UK has been working closely with the Libyan Government to tackle violent extremism in Libya and re-build those areas previously under Daesh control.Daesh is losing in Libya. In December 2016, forces aligned to Libya’s Government of National Accord (GNA), with US Air Support, expelled Daesh from their main area of control – the city of Sirte. However, the group still remains a threat to Libya and was able to carry out a suicide attack on the Higher National Elections Commission in May 2018.Daesh and other extremist groups will not be defeated completely until there is a strong national Government in Libya. The UK is supporting UN-led efforts to restore effective governance in Libya, which is key to the long term stability of Libya and the region. Last year the Government spent over £10m on stabilisation in Libya, including support to civil society organisations and local municipalities, and countering illegal migration and radicalisation. By supporting stability we are helping combat the drivers of violent extremism and terrorism in Libya.

Ministry of Justice

Prisons: Crimes of Violence and Self-harm

Liz Saville Roberts: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, which five prisons in the Male Category C estate reported the highest number of (a) assaults and (b) self-harm incidents occurring in 2017.

Rory Stewart: Holding answer received on 18 September 2018



Reducing levels of assault and self-harm in prisons is a top priority for the Ministry of Justice. We are investing across the prison estate in extra staff, training and security measures so that we can provide full and purposeful regimes, improve staff-prisoner relationships and reduce the impact of drugs.Prisons with a high absolute number of incidents might not necessarily have the highest relative number or rate of incidents, because the number of prisoners and the nature of the population will vary between establishments. Because of this point, we have provided a list of the top 5 prisons with the highest rate of assault as a better means of comparing across prisons.The five prisons in the Male Category C estate with the highest rate of assaults during 2017 were:Prison (Incidents per 1,000 population)HMP/YOI Portland – (626 incidents per 1,000 population)HMP & YOI Parc – (546 incidents per 1,000 population)HMP Hindley – (541 incidents per 1,000 population)HMP & YOI Swinfen Hall - (500 incidents per 1,000 population)HMP & YOI Isis - (441 incidents per 1,000 population)The five prisons in the Male Category C estate with the highest rate of self-harm during 2017 were:Prison (Incidents per 1,000 population)HMP & YOI Parc (913 incidents per 1,000 population)HMP Haverigg (691 incidents per 1,000 population)HMP & YOI Swinfen Hall (668 incidents per 1,000 population)HMP Moorland (604 incidents per 1,000 population)HMP Buckley Hall (603 incidents per 1,000 population)Note:HMP & YOI Parc’s assault and self-harm incident numbers include incidents which occurred in the designated places for young people (aged 15-18 years old): this data cannot currently be separated from data attributable to adults.

Prisons: Crimes of Violence and Self-harm

Liz Saville Roberts: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, which five prisons in the male local estate reported the highest number of (a) assaults and (b) self-harm incidents occurring in 2017.

Rory Stewart: Holding answer received on 18 September 2018



Reducing levels of assault and self-harm in prisons is a top priority for the Ministry of Justice. We are investing across the prison estate in extra staff, training and security measures so that we can provide full and purposeful regimes, improve staff-prisoner relationships and reduce the impact of drugs. Prisons with a high absolute number of incidents might not necessarily have the highest relative number or rate of incidents, because the number of prisoners and the nature of the population will vary between establishments. Because of this point, we have provided a list of the top 5 prisons with the highest rate of assault as a better means of comparing across prisons. The five prisons in the male local estate with the highest reported rate of assaults during 2017 were:Prison (Incidents per 1,000 population)HMP Birmingham – (928 incidents per 1,000 population)HMP Bristol – (841 incidents per 1,000 population)HMP Leicester – (772 incidents per 1,000 population)HMP Bedford – (756 incidents per 1,000 population)HMP & YOI Chelmsford – (727 incidents per 1,000 population) The five prisons in the male local estate with the highest rate of self-harm incidents during 2017 were:Prison (Incidents per 1,000 population)HMP Exeter – (1041 incidents per 1,000 population)HMP Woodhill – (945 incidents per 1,000 population)HMP Peterborough Male – (893 incidents per 1,000 population)HMP Leicester – (892 incidents per 1,000 population)HMP Bristol – (820 incidents per 1,000 population)

Social Security Benefits: Appeals

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the average waiting time is for a social security tribunal hearing in each of the last five years for people living in the Easington constituency.

Lucy Frazer: Holding answer received on 13 September 2018



The information requested is set out in the table below:Average waiting time1 at the Sunderland2 Social Security Tribunal VenueApril – March3 2013/1419 weeks2014/1522 weeks2015/1618 weeks2016/1718 weeks2017/18426 weeks 1. Waiting Time is interpreted as average clearance time - time taken for appeal receipt to outcome2. Social Security and Child Support (SSCS) data are normally registered to the venue nearest to the appellant’s home address. We cannot retrieve data based on the appellant’s actual address, but can produce reports detailing the numbers of cases that were dealt with at one of our Regional centres or heard at a specific venue. Appeals within the Easington constituency are heard in the Sunderland venue. Data include cases cleared at a tribunal hearing including paper, oral and domiciliary.  3. Financial year - April – March.  4. Data April 17 to March 18 are provisional and subject to change.Although care is taken when processing and analysing the data, the details are subject to inaccuracies inherent in any large-scale case management system and are the best data that are available.  Waiting times are calculated from receipt of the appeal to its final disposal. An appeal is not necessarily disposed of at its first hearing. The final disposal decision on the appeal may be reached after an earlier hearing had been adjourned (which may be directed by the judge for a variety of reasons, such as to seek further evidence), or after an earlier hearing date had been postponed (again, for a variety of reasons, often at the request of the appellant). An appeal may also have been decided at an earlier date by the First-tier Tribunal, only for the case to have gone on to the Upper Tribunal, to be returned once again to the First-tier, for its final disposal. Waiting times can fluctuate temporarily and geographically, owing to a number of variable factors, including volumes of benefit decisions made locally, availability of medical/disability members, venue capacity and the complexity of the issue in dispute. Any disparity in waiting times is monitored and investigated locally. In order to respond to a general increase in appeal receipts, HM Courts & Tribunals Service has been working with the Tribunal’s judiciary both to appoint additional judges and panel members, and to take forward initiatives with the potential to increase the capacity and performance of the Tribunal. We have recruited extra fee-paid judicial office holders: 250 judges across the First-tier Tribunal, 125 disability-qualified members, and up to 230 medical members. In addition, we are reviewing - with the Judiciary - current listing practices to increase the number of cases listed on a Tribunal session, and introducing case-management “triage” sessions, with the aim of reducing the time taken for appeals to reach final determination. All these measures will increase the capacity of the Tribunal, with the aim of reducing waiting times for appellants.

Ministry of Justice: Sick Leave

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what estimate he has made of the number of days of sick leave taken by staff in his Department for mental health reasons in each year since 2010.

Rory Stewart: Holding answer received on 18 September 2018



The number of staff recorded on a leave of absence from work for mental health reasons in each 12-month period of the last eight years is tabled below. Sickness absence in MOJ staff due to mental and behavioural disorders1, 12 months to March 2013 to 12 months to 31 March 2018 Date: Total working days2 lost due to mental & behavioural disorders12 months to 31 March 20113Not available12 months to 31 March 20123Not available12 months to 31 March 201341,09012 months to 31 March 201447,92812 months to 31 March 201543,53812 months to 31 March 201641,65912 months to 31 March 2017436,62312 months to 31 March 201838,430Includes stress related absences.Working days lost are calculated by taking the number of working days only between the start and the end of the sick leave within the 12-month period stated. Additional adjustments are made to take account of annual leave and bank holidays.Data between 01/04/2010 to 31/03/2012 is not available as file types are no longer supported. So far, no technical solution found. Manual sickness records for MoJ are not held beyond this point.Between January and March 2017, during migration of data to the Single Operating Platform, an under-recording of sickness absence records occurred. There is therefore likely to be an undercount of working days lost for the 12 months to 31 March 2017 and subsequent under-estimate of average working days lost. This data includes staff employed by the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) Headquarters, HM Courts and Tribunals Service, HM Prison and Probation Service, Legal Aid Agency, Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority and Office of the Public Guardian. Individuals are included if they were absent for any part of the month. Where an absence straddles more than one month, it is included in each.The MoJ is committed to supporting the health and wellbeing of all of its employees and to reducing sickness absence levels. The department’s wellbeing strategy is designed specifically to reflect the primary causes of sickness absence including mental health, and highlights support available to both employees and managers.To support the strategy, Directors General in HMPPS and HMCTS were appointed as senior advocates for attendance management and wellbeing in MoJ. In addition, an MoJ Mental Health Allies Network has been initiated to offer support and signposting to staff on mental health issues.

Attorney General

Attorney General: Living Wage

Gareth Snell: To ask the Attorney General, how many staff in his Department that work (a) inside and (b) outside Greater London are paid at a rate below the Real Living Wage.

Gareth Snell: To ask the Attorney General, how many staff in his Department that work (a) inside and (b) outside Greater London are paid at a rate below the London Living Wage.

Robert Buckland: The Attorney General’s Office does not currently have any staff that are paid below the Real Living Wage or the London Living Wage.

Attorney General: Working Hours

Gareth Snell: To ask the Attorney General, what the weekly contracted hours are for the highest paid member of staff in his Department.

Robert Buckland: The highest paid member of staff in the Attorney General’s Office is contracted to work 41 hours a week (including lunch breaks).

Attorney General: Staff

Gareth Snell: To ask the Attorney General, how many staff are (a) employed directly by, (b) seconded to  and (c) work under contract to his Department.

Robert Buckland: As at 31st August 2018, the Attorney General’s Office had 40 staff on payroll, 3 on Secondment in & 1 Contractor (agency). The staff on payroll can be broken down as follows: Payroll staffCountFixed Term - Fair & Open2Loan In29Permanent8Secondment Out1Total40

Cabinet Office

Tourism: Migrant Workers

Tom Brake: To ask the Minister for theCabinet Office, what figures the Government holds on the number of EU citizens working in the UK tourism industry in (a) 2015, (b) 2016, (c) 2017 and (d) 2018.

Tom Brake: To ask the Minister for theCabinet Office, what information the Government holds on the number of non-UK EU citizens working on seasonal work contracts in the UK tourism sector in (a) 2015, (b) 2016, (c) 2017 and (d) 2018 to date.

Chloe Smith: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.



UKSA response 
(PDF Document, 88.81 KB)

Voting Behaviour

Grahame Morris: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what steps he is taking to increase the level of participation in elections.

Chloe Smith: The Government is committed to building a democracy that works for everyone. To promote democratic engagement, National Democracy Week was held in July 2018 and the Cabinet Office is leading on three projects funded by the Suffrage Centenary Fund Programme. These are the Democracy Ambassadors Scheme to recruit and train youth democracy ambassadors, the development and publication of a toolkit for parliamentarians to engage young people, and a new secondary schools resource which will be released later this year. More widely, on 30 August 2018 the Government published the response to its Call for Evidence on Access to Elections. This includes a series of actions to be taken forward to remove identified barriers to further support disabled people to participate in elections. We also expect to boost democratic participation through work on voter identification and the measures proposed in the Government’s consultation “Protecting the Debate: Intimidation, Influence and Information.” Democratic participation is more likely when citizens can cast their vote in confidence. Proposed measures to tackle intimidation will help ensure voters can make a free choice at the ballot box, based on an informed discussion focused on policy and principle, rather than on misinformation or abuse.

Women and Equalities

Candidates: Females

Giles Watling: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, what steps she is taking to encourage more women to stand for public office.

Victoria Atkins: Further to my previous answer on 2 July 2018, I can confirm that this year the Government Equalities Office has been funding several projects, through the Government’s £5m Suffrage Centenary Fund, that help deliver our aim to increase women’s participation in politics across the country. Some of these projects are providing practical training to women who want an active role in politics. For example, we are supporting a political leadership programme for women in Bradford and Birmingham, and a project training women in the East Midlands, West Midlands and London in public speaking and media relations.  Also, in July this year the Centenary Fund supported an Ask Her to Stand event in London where 350 women interested in elected office heard from women politicians across the political spectrum encouraging them to stand, engaged with women’s political organisations and took part in workshops providing practical advice on getting into politics and public life.